As the owner of Natural Paws Pantry, I thought it would be appropriate to tell my story about my dogs and why I feel raw food is a very
important decision to make for the health of your pet.
I have two golden retrievers, Willow and Charlie, who are always in the store with me and who love to meet and greet. Charlie loves to lay in front of the bone box and he gives me the eye, as if to say okay when do I get one. Willow is just content to carry around her hedgehog.
I lost my two first goldens both due to cancer and it was heart breaking. As Willow and Charlie grew I noticed they also had some health issues. I was on a mission to find natural ways to remedy their health problems. I heard about the benefits of raw feeding and started my research. I soon discovered the many benefits of a species appropriate diet. Once I corrected their food to being the diet they were naturally meant to eat, the changes were astounding.
Charlie seemed to have digestive issues right from day one. I thought it was strange that he used to bring up his kibble almost immediately after eating it. I tried many different brands and types of kibble and nothing seemed to correct his problem. I took him to the vet many times to have him checked because there had to be something wrong, this just wasn’t normal. He had blood work, x-rays and ultrasounds done, but nothing seemed to be an obvious cause. After hundreds of dollars and no cures, and was told that he would need a gastric scope done to determine what was wrong, I thought, there had to be some other remedy. Once I decided to change his diet from kibble to raw, voila, his problems disappeared.
Willow had ear problems and I needed to clean her ears almost every other week. She was always being prescribed antibiotics and nasty solutions to help clean them. Since she has been on a raw diet, more than 3 years now, I hardly ever have to clean her ears maybe once a year. She doesn’t shake or scratch her head any more, nor is there that awful odour resonating from her ears.
I used to get handfuls of fur when I would pet them and now they hardly shed, which is a huge bonus. With two goldens you can imagine how often I was having to vacuum the house!! I would estimate that their shedding has been reduced by 75-80%. Their fur is smooth and silky and they do not have that doggie smell that most dogs have.
I noticed within almost a 2 week period that their teeth were a lot whiter with very little tartar build up. They love chewing on their bones and no bad breath!
Their poop is smaller, solid and (a wonderful benefit) there is very little smell to their poops. I know that what they are taking in is being utilized and absorbed and they are getting the full value of each and every bite.
I cannot tell you how happy and energetic they are now that they are eating the foods they were meant to eat.
I knew that this was something I needed to provide to others who wanted a natural, safe and appropriate diet for their companion animals.
